Excerpts from
In the
Language of Today:
An American
Translation",
by
William F. Beck,
Holman
Bible Publishers,
Nashville,
1976
[WELFARE GUIDELINES]
Deuteronomy
14:22 to 15:19
Every year be sure you take a tenth of everything that grows from your seed and comes from your field, and eat it before the LORD your God at the place He chooses to put His name.
Eat the tenth of your fresh grain, wine, and olive oil and the firstborn of your herds and your flock, so that you will learn always to fear the LORD your God.
If you are so far away you can't take the tenth part there because the place the LORD your God chose to put His name is too far away, then, when the LORD your God blesses you, sell the tenth part, wrap up the money, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses.
With the money buy anything you want: bulls, sheep, and goats, wine and liquor, anything you like, and eat before the LORD your God and be happy with your family.
But don't neglect the Levite who lives in your town; he has no property assigned to him as you have.
At the end of every three years bring out the whole tenth part of your crop for that year, and deposit it in your towns.
Since the Levite has no property assigned to him as you have, he, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow who are in your towns can come and eat all they want, so that the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
This is how you should do it: If any of you lent money to a neighbor, cancel the debt and don't force your fellow Israelite to pay it, because the LORD'S cancellation is proclaimed.
You may collect it from a foreigner, but cancel your claim to anything of yours another Israelite has.
There should of course be no poor among you, because the LORD your God will certainly bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own if only you obey the LORD your God and carefully do everything He says, as I'm ordering you now.
The LORD your God will bless you as He promised, and you will lend to many nations but borrow nothing; you will rule over many nations and not be ruled by them.
If in any of your towns in the land the LORD your God is giving you there is a fellow Israelite who is poor, don't harden your heart and shut your hand against another poor Israelite, but be open-handed to him, and lend him enough for anything he needs.
Be careful you don't get any wicked idea and think, "The seventh year when debts are cancelled is near," and have a mean attitude toward your poor fellow Israelite and give him nothing.
He will complain to the LORD about you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Be sure to give to him, because the LORD your God will bless you for this in everything you do and undertake.
Since there will always be poor people in the country, I order you: Be openhanded to poor and needy fellow Israelites in your country.
If a fellow Israelite, a Hebrew man or woman, sells himself to you, he should be your slave for six years, but in the seventh you should let him go away free.
But when you free him from serving you, don't send him away empty-handed.
Richly provide for him from your flock, threshing floor, and wine press, in which the LORD your god has blessed you.
Remember you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God freed you; that's why I'm ordering you to do this.
But if he tells you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is happy with you, then take an awl and drive it through his ear into the door; then he will always be your slave.
And do the same with your female slave.
It shouldn't seem hard for you to send him away free, because a hired man doing the work he did for six years would have cost twice as much, and the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
+++
[WARFARE GUIDELINES]
Deuteronomy
19:21 to 20:20
... take a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.
When you go out to fight against your enemies and see horses and chariots, a bigger army than yours, don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt is with you.
When there's a battle ahead of you, a priest should step forward and talk to the troops.
"Listen, Israel," he should tell them, "today you're going to fight against your enemies.
Don't let them make you feel timid, afraid, alarmed, or terrified, because the LORD your God is going with you to fight your enemies for you and give you the victory."
The officers should tell the troops: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it?
Go back home, or you may die in battle and another man will dedicate it.
Has anyone planted a vineyard and not started to enjoy its grapes?
Go back home, or you may die in battle and someone else will start enjoying its grapes.
Has anyone become engaged to a woman and not married her?
Go back home, or you may die in battle and someone else will marry her."
The officers should also tell the troops: "Is anyone afraid and timid?
Go back home, and don't make the other Israelites cowards like yourself."
When the officers are done talking to the troops, they should appoint commanders to lead them.
When you come near a town to attack it, call on it not to fight.
If it submits peacefully and opens its gates to you, then all the people found there should be made your slaves and should serve you.
If it will not submit peacefully to you but fights against you, then besiege it.
When the LORD your God puts it in your hands, kill every male in it with the sword, but the women and children, the cattle and everything else in the town, all its goods, take as your spoils, and live on your enemies' goods that the LORD your God gives you.
Do this to all the towns that are far away, towns that don't belong to these people nearby.
But in the towns of these local people that the LORD your God is giving you as your own, don't keep anyone alive, but completely destroy them -- Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites -- as the LORD your God orders you, so they will not teach you to do all the abhorrent things they have done for their gods, making you sin against the LORD your God.
When you besiege a town a long time as you fight against it to take it, don't destroy its fruit trees, cutting them down with an ax, because you can get food from them; don't cut them down.
The trees of the field are not men for you to besiege.
Destroy only the trees you know bear fruit you cannot eat; cut them down and use them to build the siege-works against the town that is fighting against you, till it falls.
+++
In the
Language of Today:
An American
Translation",
by
William F. Beck,
Holman
Bible Publishers,
Nashville,
1976
[WELFARE GUIDELINES]
Deuteronomy
14:22 to 15:19
Every year be sure you take a tenth of everything that grows from your seed and comes from your field, and eat it before the LORD your God at the place He chooses to put His name.
Eat the tenth of your fresh grain, wine, and olive oil and the firstborn of your herds and your flock, so that you will learn always to fear the LORD your God.
If you are so far away you can't take the tenth part there because the place the LORD your God chose to put His name is too far away, then, when the LORD your God blesses you, sell the tenth part, wrap up the money, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses.
With the money buy anything you want: bulls, sheep, and goats, wine and liquor, anything you like, and eat before the LORD your God and be happy with your family.
But don't neglect the Levite who lives in your town; he has no property assigned to him as you have.
At the end of every three years bring out the whole tenth part of your crop for that year, and deposit it in your towns.
Since the Levite has no property assigned to him as you have, he, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow who are in your towns can come and eat all they want, so that the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
This is how you should do it: If any of you lent money to a neighbor, cancel the debt and don't force your fellow Israelite to pay it, because the LORD'S cancellation is proclaimed.
You may collect it from a foreigner, but cancel your claim to anything of yours another Israelite has.
There should of course be no poor among you, because the LORD your God will certainly bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own if only you obey the LORD your God and carefully do everything He says, as I'm ordering you now.
The LORD your God will bless you as He promised, and you will lend to many nations but borrow nothing; you will rule over many nations and not be ruled by them.
If in any of your towns in the land the LORD your God is giving you there is a fellow Israelite who is poor, don't harden your heart and shut your hand against another poor Israelite, but be open-handed to him, and lend him enough for anything he needs.
Be careful you don't get any wicked idea and think, "The seventh year when debts are cancelled is near," and have a mean attitude toward your poor fellow Israelite and give him nothing.
He will complain to the LORD about you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Be sure to give to him, because the LORD your God will bless you for this in everything you do and undertake.
Since there will always be poor people in the country, I order you: Be openhanded to poor and needy fellow Israelites in your country.
If a fellow Israelite, a Hebrew man or woman, sells himself to you, he should be your slave for six years, but in the seventh you should let him go away free.
But when you free him from serving you, don't send him away empty-handed.
Richly provide for him from your flock, threshing floor, and wine press, in which the LORD your god has blessed you.
Remember you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God freed you; that's why I'm ordering you to do this.
But if he tells you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is happy with you, then take an awl and drive it through his ear into the door; then he will always be your slave.
And do the same with your female slave.
It shouldn't seem hard for you to send him away free, because a hired man doing the work he did for six years would have cost twice as much, and the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
+++
[WARFARE GUIDELINES]
Deuteronomy
19:21 to 20:20
... take a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.
When you go out to fight against your enemies and see horses and chariots, a bigger army than yours, don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt is with you.
When there's a battle ahead of you, a priest should step forward and talk to the troops.
"Listen, Israel," he should tell them, "today you're going to fight against your enemies.
Don't let them make you feel timid, afraid, alarmed, or terrified, because the LORD your God is going with you to fight your enemies for you and give you the victory."
The officers should tell the troops: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it?
Go back home, or you may die in battle and another man will dedicate it.
Has anyone planted a vineyard and not started to enjoy its grapes?
Go back home, or you may die in battle and someone else will start enjoying its grapes.
Has anyone become engaged to a woman and not married her?
Go back home, or you may die in battle and someone else will marry her."
The officers should also tell the troops: "Is anyone afraid and timid?
Go back home, and don't make the other Israelites cowards like yourself."
When the officers are done talking to the troops, they should appoint commanders to lead them.
When you come near a town to attack it, call on it not to fight.
If it submits peacefully and opens its gates to you, then all the people found there should be made your slaves and should serve you.
If it will not submit peacefully to you but fights against you, then besiege it.
When the LORD your God puts it in your hands, kill every male in it with the sword, but the women and children, the cattle and everything else in the town, all its goods, take as your spoils, and live on your enemies' goods that the LORD your God gives you.
Do this to all the towns that are far away, towns that don't belong to these people nearby.
But in the towns of these local people that the LORD your God is giving you as your own, don't keep anyone alive, but completely destroy them -- Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites -- as the LORD your God orders you, so they will not teach you to do all the abhorrent things they have done for their gods, making you sin against the LORD your God.
When you besiege a town a long time as you fight against it to take it, don't destroy its fruit trees, cutting them down with an ax, because you can get food from them; don't cut them down.
The trees of the field are not men for you to besiege.
Destroy only the trees you know bear fruit you cannot eat; cut them down and use them to build the siege-works against the town that is fighting against you, till it falls.
+++
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